I am a 29 year old hetrosexual man. The last two years I've had an enlarged node on the right side of my neck beneath back of my jaw. Maybe beneath my tonsil. I've seen my doctors and they've said it's normal size but touching it, it feels a lot larger.

I don't do drugs and I've been in a relationship for three years now. The only thing I can think of is that I may have been infected when I was at a hospital. A man vomitted on me once. I didn't get any in my face but I may have rubbed my face several minutes afterwards and maybe unbeknownst to me there was vomit on my hands. Nothing was really thought of it at the time.

My question is does this sound like a possible route of transmission? Does vomit even transmit hiv? I just want to know the odds. Please respond back.

Thank You,
Heath

Response from Ms. Southall

Hi
There could be many reason for your lymph nodes to be enlarged, rubbing on it and obsessing on it doesn't help. The vomit experience could carry a risk if the person has HIV, a high viral load, there was blood in the vomit and you had a recent cut or an opening for the virus to enter into your body. Your best peace of mind action is to be tested. The standard for testing is 3 weeks from the day of exposure and then 3 months.

This forum is designed for educational purposes only, and experts are not rendering medical, mental health, legal or other professional advice or services. If you have or suspect you may have a medical, mental health, legal or other problem that requires advice, consult your own caregiver, attorney or other qualified professional.

Experts appearing on this page are independent and are solely responsible for editing and fact-checking their material. Neither TheBody.com nor any advertiser is the publisher or speaker of posted visitors' questions or the experts' material.

The Body is a service of Remedy Health Media, LLC, 750 3rd Avenue, 6th Floor, New York, NY 10017. The Body and its logos are trademarks of Remedy Health Media, LLC, and its subsidiaries, which owns the copyright of The Body's homepage, topic pages, page designs and HTML code. General Disclaimer: The Body is designed for educational purposes only and is not engaged in rendering medical advice or professional services. The information provided through The Body should not be used for diagnosing or treating a health problem or a disease. It is not a substitute for professional care. If you have or suspect you may have a health problem, consult your health care provider.